Modular robotic vehicle

ABSTRACT

A robotic vehicle with modular track assemblies that are separable from the chassis with the drive unit being self-contained in each track assembly with the motor controller, and the coolant system being enclosed in an ornamental cover all of which is positioned above the track and with a cooler of the coolant system being positioned rearward of the motor and the motor controller and a gear box connected outside the ornamental cover on the inside of the left track assembly to couple the motor to a final drive that drives the track with the motor being positioned above the final drive.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to autonomous vehicles and, more specifically,to modular tracked robotic vehicles.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

There are many instances where autonomous vehicles are preferred tohuman-operated vehicles. Such autonomous vehicles are particularlyadvantageous for performing dangerous tasks or operating in hazardousconditions, akin to what first responders or explosive ordinancedisposal teams may experience. They are also favorable in situationswhere large fleets are needed, such as in agriculture, where farms haveincreased in size but the limited window of time for agriculturaloperations remains the same. No matter the situation, personnel needautonomous vehicles that are readily available and robust enough tooperate in all conditions.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method, system, and/orapparatus that can aid persons in completing various operations. Themethod, system, and/or apparatus can be used to reduce the time forcompleting operations, improve the conditions in which an operation canbe completed, reduce the amount of manpower needed, or otherwise reducethe number of issues associated with farming and other industries.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, disclosed is arobotic vehicle with modular, detachable, replaceable, and configurabletrack assemblies. In one implementation, a robotic vehicle comprises achassis comprising a right side and a left side with a right trackassembly separable from the right side of the chassis and a left trackassembly separable from the left side of the chassis, wherein each ofthe right track assembly and the left track assembly comprise a motoroperably connected to a track. In this arrangement, the respective trackassemblies are detachable, replaceable, and configurable from thechassis of the robotic vehicle so that robotic vehicle can be configuredas dual track or single-track robotic vehicle with the motor, motorcontroller, and the coolant system being self-contained in each trackassembly.

Each of the right track assembly and the left track assembly cancomprise track equipment, including a track frame, a track link combinedto the track to rotate with the track, a sprocket engaged with the tracklink to rotate the track link and the track, at least one idler rollerand at least one roller engaged with the track link to maintain analignment of the track as well as distribute the weight of the trackassembly across the track, and a final drive is combined to the sprocketand driven by the motor to rotate the track with respect to the trackframe.

In order to keep each modular track assembly compact, each of the righttrack assembly and the left track assembly further comprises a gearboxassembly comprising the motor positioned vertically above the finaldrive. In this regard, an axis of rotation for an output of the motor ispositioned above an axis of rotation of the final drive to elevate themotor above the ground to keep the motor out of dirt. A brake can alsobe connected to the gearbox on the opposite side of the motor and thefinal drive to arrest the rotation of the output of the motor, the finaldrive or both the motor and the final drive.

Such a compact arrangement of the gear box can be found do to the uniqueassembly of the gear box, which can house a motor gear mechanicallycoupled to the motor, a brake gear mechanically coupled to the brake andcounter-rotationally engaged with the motor gear, and final drive gearmechanically coupled to the final drive and counter-rotationally engagedwith the brake gear, wherein each of the motor gear, the brake gear, andthe final drive gear can have an axis of rotation all of which can bealigned on a vertical plane.

More specifically, the gear box can comprise of a front gear box plateand a rear gear box plate spaced apart by a center gear box plate,wherein the motor gear is coupled to the motor by a motor shaft assemblythat is substantially housed in a motor shaft housing that is attachedto the outside of the front gear box plate and to the motor, wherein thebrake gear is coupled to the brake by a brake shaft assembly that issubstantially housed in a brake shaft housing that is attached to theoutside of the rear gear box plate and to the brake, and wherein thefinal drive gear is coupled to the final drive by a final drive shaftassembly that is housed in a final drive shaft housing that is attachedto the outside of the front gear box face and to the final drive. Thisarrangement allows the overall thickness of the gearbox measured fromthe front gearbox plate to the rear gearbox plate to be relatively thinon the order of a few inches thick.

Each of the right track assembly and the left track assembly of therobotic vehicle can also advantageously have a motor controllerelectrically connectable to a battery unit and electrically connected tothe motor for converting power from the battery unit to power for themotor. With the motor controller positioned in the modular trackassembly, it can simply be connected to the central unit of the roboticvehicle by a detachable electrical connector. This keeps the motor andthe motor controller in each track assembly. In an embodiment, the motoris an AC motor and the motor controller converts power from the batteryunit to a variable frequency AC power for the motor. A DC motor with anappropriate motor controller can also be used depending on thesituation.

It is also advantageous that each of the right track assembly and theleft track assembly comprises its own coolant system operably connectedto the motor controller and the motor for dissipating heat from themotor controller and the motor. The coolant system can comprise of acooler and a pump for circulating coolant around the controller and themotor to the cooler, and wherein the controller is positioned betweenthe motor and the pump. In order to keep each track assembly modular andcompact, the coolant system and the motor controller can be positionedabove the track. With a cooler positioned rearward of the motor and thefinal drive.

Different configurations of the respective track assemblies are alsocontemplated. Each of the right track assembly and the left trackassembly can comprise a track frame and an attachment mechanism toremovably attach the track frame to the chassis. In one implementation,the attachment mechanism comprises a pair of tubes combined to the trackframe and slidingly combined to the chassis with an actuator combined tothe chassis and attached to at least one tube of the pair of tubes todrive the track frame towards and away from the chassis to increase ordecrease a track-to-track width of the robotic vehicle. This isespecially useful for agricultural operations with row width can change.In another implementation, the attachment mechanism can comprise a pairof angle arms attached at one end to the track frame and attached to theother end to the chassis to elevate the chassis above the ground andincrease a track-to-track width of the robotic vehicle.

In either implementation of the attachment mechanism, the left trackassembly is separable from the chassis by disconnecting the attachmentmechanism from the chassis and disconnecting an electrical connector.With these few disconnections, each track assembly along with its ownself-contained motor, motor controller, and coolant system being fullyseparable with the track assembly from the operating unit and thebattery unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bebetter understood by reading the following detailed description, takentogether with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robotic vehicle according to thisdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the robotic vehicle of FIG. 1 with thetrack assemblies detached from the operating unit.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of outside of the left track assembly ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the inside of the left track assembly ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the operating unit of the left trackassembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an alternative implementation of a robotic vehicle having awider base and higher ground clearance.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the robotic vehicle of FIG. 6 with thetrack assemblies detached from the operating unit.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the outside of the left track assemblyof FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the inside of the left track assembly ofFIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a right-side perspective view of the gearbox assembly for thetrack assembly of the robotic vehicle of FIGS. 1 and 6.

FIG. 11 is a left-side perspective view of the gearbox assembly for thetrack assembly of the robotic vehicle of FIGS. 1 and 6.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the robotic vehicle of FIG. 6 with dualtrack assemblies units.

FIG. 13 is a right-side perspective view of the coolant system for thetrack assembly of the robotic vehicle of FIGS. 1 and 6.

FIG. 14 is a left-side perspective view of the coolant system for thetrack assembly of the robotic vehicle of FIGS. 1 and 6.

FIG. 15A is a rear view of the gearbox of FIG. 11.

FIG. 15B is a section view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 15B.

FIG. 16 is an exploded view of the gearbox assembly of FIGS. 10 and 11.

FIG. 17 is a bottom view of the left track assembly and the operatingunit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 18 is a bottom view of the left track assembly and the operatingunit of FIG. 2 with the left track assembly extended from the operatingunit.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the inside of the left track assemblyof FIG. 6 with the attachment mechanism exploded from the left trackassembly.

FIG. 20 is an electrical schematic of the robotic vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 21 is a schematic of the coolant system of the robotic vehicle ofFIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robotic vehicle 100 according to thisdisclosure. Robotic vehicle 100 is electric driven, and remotelyoperable, in order to carry out manpower-intensive or high-riskfunctions without exposing an operator to fatigue or hazard. Roboticvehicle 100 is robust and sturdy to operate in challenging environments.Its low, forward center of gravity allows for towing or haulingequipment many times its weight. With an easily replaceable batterypack, robotic vehicle 100 can operate for many hours then quicklyexchange battery packs for continued operation.

Robotic vehicle 100 comprises of a central unit 101 with a chassis 102having a front end 102 a and rear end 102 b supported on a right trackassembly 104 and a left track assembly 106. Each right track assembly104 and left track assembly 106 has its own motor drive that isremovably connectable to an operating unit 112, where the circuitry andsoftware necessary for operating robotic vehicle 100 is located. A fronthood 114 projects outward from operating unit 112 of central unit 101and each motor drive assembly 108 where ancillary equipment such ascameras 111 and lights 113 can be located.

Beneath front hood 114, on chassis 102, and between right track assembly104, and left track assembly 106, is a battery unit 200. Battery unit200 may approach 25-30% of the total weight of robotic vehicle 100weighing more than 1,500 pounds. By positioning battery unit 200underneath front hood 114 on chassis 102, the center of gravity ofrobotic vehicle 100 is lowered and moved forward to improve traction andtowing capacity. Battery unit 200 and chassis 102 are described morefully in counterpart U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/526,872 filedon Nov. 15, 2021 the contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference herein.

Robotic vehicle 100 comprises right track assembly 104 and left trackassembly 106 that are each removably attachable from chassis 102 ofcentral unit 101 of robotic vehicle 100 to make robotic vehicle 100easily configurable for various applications. FIGS. 1-4 show oneimplementation with right track assembly 104 and left track assembly 106having a standard width and ground clearance, while FIGS. 6-9 showanother implementation with a greater width and ground clearance bymerely exchanging a frame attachment mechanism 120, discussed below. Inaddition, robotic vehicle 100 can include two or more right trackassemblies 104 and left track assemblies 106, such as the implementationshown in FIG. 12 with dual track assemblies units comprising right trackassemblies 104 a, 104 b and left track assemblies 106 a, 106 b, whengreater towing capacity is required.

Turning to FIG. 2, shown are the right track assembly 104 and left trackassembly 106 detached from chassis 102 of central unit 101. As can beseen, each right track assembly 104 and left track assembly 106 is amodular self-contained unit that is easily separable from chassis 102 ofcentral unit 101 with the only connections being frame attachmentmechanism 120, shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 17-18, to removably combine therespective right track assembly 104 and left track assembly 106 tochassis 102 and an electrical connector 121 for power from battery unit200 and data to and from operating unit 112.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of outside of the left track assembly106 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the inside of theleft track assembly 106. Because right track assembly 104 isfunctionally the same with the same components only mirrored, only lefttrack assembly 106 will be described with the understanding that righttrack assembly 104 is similarly constructed.

Referring to FIG. 5, left track assembly 106 comprises the standardcomponents of a tracked vehicle, including a track 124 the inside ofwhich has attached thereto a track link 126, which can be in the form ofa belt or chain. A sprocket 128 fixed to a final drive 152 (discussedbelow in connection with FIGS. 10-11) engages track link 126 to drivetrack 124 across the ground. A front idler roller 130, a rear idlerroller 132, and one or more rollers 134 support the weight of roboticvehicle 100 and maintain an alignment of track 124. Front idler roller130, rear idler roller 132 and rollers 134 are rotationally connected toa track frame 123 by suspension members 138 to absorb some of the shockas robotic vehicle 100 traverses uneven terrain.

Attachment mechanism 120 attaches left track assembly 106 to chassis102. In the implementation shown in FIG. 4, attachment mechanism isimplemented as a pair of tubes 122 connected to a track frame 123 ofleft track assembly 106 that are urged inward and outward with respectto chassis 102 by at least one actuator 125, shown in FIGS. 17-18. Pairof tubes 122 can each be implemented as a single tube, or multipletelescoping tubes for greater expansion. While an automatic adjustmentof the width may be preferred, manually width adjustment with thetelescoping tubes is also contemplated. Depending on the terrain beingtraversed, the track-to-track width can be increased or decreased. Thisis especially advantageous for use in agricultural operations whendistance between crop rows varies, for example, vineyards and produce.Actuator 125 is electrically connected to battery unit 200 and operatingunit 112 through electrical connector 121. This way commands fromoperating unit 112 can expand and retract one of or both right trackassembly 104 and left track assembly 106. One end of actuator 125 isfixed to chassis 102 with the rod of actuator 125 fixed to tube 122.

Turning briefly to FIGS. 6-9 and FIG. 19, attachment mechanism 120 canbe implemented as a pair of angle arms 140 attached at one end to lefttrack assembly 106 to a track plate 142 that is welded, bolted,otherwise attached longitudinally across track frame 123 of left trackassembly 106, and with the other end attached to a chassis plate 144that is attached longitudinally across chassis 102. A cable cover 146can be added to cover electrical connector 121 and its correspondingcables. This arrangement of pair of angle arms 140 effectively fixes thetrack-to-track width of robotic vehicle 100 and elevates the groundclearance of chassis 102. This implementation is useful for operationswhere a sturdier base and greater ground clearance is required.Otherwise, the embodiment shown in these FIGS. 6-9 is the same as theembodiment shown in FIG. 1. Other implementations of elevating theground clearance are also envisioned such as angled actuators thateffectively elevate central unit 101 and chassis 102 with respect toboth right track assembly 104 and left track assembly 106.

Turning to FIG. 5, shown is an exploded view of left track assembly 106,which further comprises of a gearbox assembly 150 and a coolant system190. Turning now to FIGS. 10-11, shown is gearbox assembly 150 thatdrives left track assembly 106. Gearbox assembly 150 comprises of afinal drive 152 that is directly connected to sprocket 128 that engagestrack link 126 of left track assembly 106. Final drive 152 is driven inrotation by a motor 154 that is powered by battery unit 200 andcommanded by operating unit 112. A brake 156 is mechanically interfacedbetween motor 154 and final drive 152 to arrest rotation of motor 154and final drive 152. All of these components are mechanically connectedtogether in an innovative arrangement with motor 154 being verticallyelevated above final drive 152, and with an axis of rotation of anoutput of motor 154 being above the axis of rotation of final drive 152,which places motor 154 above track 124 of left track assembly 106 tokeep it out of the dirt. The mechanical equipment connecting thesecomponents together are all isolated inside a narrow, two-inch thick,gear box 158.

Gear box is best illustrated in FIG. 10, which shows a front-sideperspective view of gear box 158, FIG. 11, which shows a rear-sideperspective view of the same, FIG. 15A, which shows a rear view of thegear box of FIG. 11, and FIG. 15B, which shows a section view takenalong the line A-A of FIG. 15B, and FIG. 16, which shows an explodedview of gear box assembly 150. Gearbox 158 comprises of a front gearboxplate 160 and a rear gearbox plate 162 spaced apart by a center gearboxplate 161. Inside gear box 158 is a motor gear 164 that is mechanicallyconnected to motor 154 by a motor shaft assembly 166, which is sealedinside a motor shaft housing 168 and fixed and aligned with motor 154 bya motor attachment plate 170. Motor gear 164 is counter-rotationallyengaged with a brake gear 172 that is mechanically connected to brake156 by a brake shaft assembly 174, which is sealed inside a brake shafthousing 176, fixed, and aligned with motor 154. This allows brake 156 toprovide counter-rotational force to brake gear 172 to arrest therotation of motor gear 164. Brake gear is counter-rotationally engagedto a final drive gear 178 that is mechanically connected to final drive152 and sprocket 128 by a final drive shaft assembly 180, which issealed inside a final drive shaft housing, fixed, and aligned with finaldrive 152.

All of motor gear 164, brake gear 172, and final drive gear 178 havetheir respective axis aligned on the same vertical plane to narrow thenecessary width of gear box 158. This also allows for gear box 158 tohave a thickness that is much smaller than standard gearboxes forelectrically driven robotic vehicles. Rear gearbox plate 162 also has alarge surface area that provides points of attachment for coolant system190.

Turning to FIGS. 13-14 and FIG. 21, shown is coolant system 190connected to motor 154 and a motor controller 192. For motor 154implemented as an AC motor, motor controller 192 can be implemented asan inverter for converting DC voltage from battery unit 200 to avariable frequency AC power to drive motor 154. For motor 154implemented as a DC motor, motor controller 192 can control therotational speed and torque of motor 154 by regulating the current andvoltage applied to motor 154. In both instance, motor 154 and motorcontroller 192 may be cooled to remain in optimal operating conditions.Cooling system 190 comprises of cooler 194 with a built in fan that isin fluid communication with a coolant reservoir 196 and a pump 198.Through a series of hoses 199, pump 198 circulates coolant from coolantreservoir around motor 154 and motor controller 192 to cooler 194 whereexcess heat can be dissipated. Returning to FIG. 5, it will be noticedthat cooler 194 with its built in fan is uniquely positioned near therear of robotic vehicle 100 behind gearbox assembly 150.

Returning to FIGS. 1-4, it can be seen that left track assembly 106 is aself-contained unit with gear box assembly 150, coolant system 190,motor 154, and motor controller 192 being self-contained in anornamental cover 118 above track 124 of left track assembly 106. Cover118 can comprise an outside cover section 118 a and an inside coversection 118 b which can be directly connected to gear box 158. Thisallows one or more left track assemblies 106 to be added or removed bymerely disconnecting electrical connector 121 and attachment mechanism120.

FIG. 20 shows a high-level electrical schematic for robotic vehicle 100.Central unit 101 of robotic vehicle 100 comprises of battery unit 200that is electrically connected to operating unit 112, which contains thesoftware and hardware necessary to drive and control robotic vehicle100. Each right track assembly 104 and left track assembly 106 iselectrically connected to operating unit 112 and battery unit 200 by atleast one electrical connector 121. Power from battery unit 200 andbi-directional control and response signals from operating unit 112 aretherefore supplied directly to motor controller 192, actuator 125, pump198 and cooler 194. All of the positive and negative DC supply voltages,the relays supplies, and the bi-directional CAN and VCU connections forthe bi-directional control and response signals between operating unit112 and motor 154 and motor controller 192 can be electrically connectedby at least one electrical connector 121 between operating unit 112 andthe respective right track assembly 104 and left track assembly 106.Operating unit 112 is configured to control simultaneously all of thetrack assemblies 104, 106 described herein.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the illustratedembodiments described above are exemplary. Other changes andmodifications to robotic vehicle 100 are contemplated herein. In analternative implementation, a single motor controller 192 can bepositioned in central unit 101 and configured to power motor 154 forleft track assembly 106 and right track assembly 104. Similarly, asingle coolant system 190 can be positioned in central unit 101 withadditional quick release connections of hoses 199. Such modificationsprovide the modular benefits of the illustrated embodiments, but arepresently believed to be dis-advantageous due to the lack ofavailability or costs of a single motor 192 controller to drive multiplemotors 154.

Terms used herein are presumed to have their ordinary meaning to thoseskilled in the art unless a different meaning is given. Substantially,as used herein, is defined to have a standard dictionary definition ofbeing largely but not wholly that which is specified.

While the principles of the invention have been described herein, it isto be understood by those skilled in the art that this description ismade only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope ofthe invention. Other embodiments are contemplated within the scope ofthe present invention in addition to the exemplary embodiments shown anddescribed herein. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinaryskill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the presentinvention, which is not to be limited except by the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A robotic vehicle, comprising: a chassis comprising a rightside and a left side; a right track assembly separable from the rightside of the chassis; a left track assembly separable from the left sideof the chassis; and wherein each of the right track assembly and theleft track assembly comprises a motor operably connected to a track, afinal drive, a brake to arrest the rotation of an output of the motor,and a gear box assembly that connects the motor vertically above thefinal drive, wherein an axis of rotation for the output of the motor ispositioned above an axis of rotation of the final drive.
 2. The roboticvehicle of claim 1, wherein each of the right track assembly and theleft track assembly further comprises: a track frame; a track linkcombined to the track to rotate with the track; a sprocket engaged withthe track link to rotate the track link and the track; at least oneidler roller and at least one roller engaged with the track link tomaintain an alignment of the track; and the final drive is combined tothe sprocket and driven by the motor to rotate the track with respect tothe track frame.
 3. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein each gearbox assembly further comprises a gear box for housing a motor gearmechanically coupled to the motor, a brake gear mechanically coupled tothe brake and counter-rotationally engaged with the motor gear, andfinal drive gear mechanically coupled to the final drive andcounter-rotationally engaged with the brake gear, wherein each of themotor gear, the brake gear, and the final drive gear have an axis ofrotation all of which are aligned on a vertical plane.
 4. The roboticvehicle of claim 3, wherein each gear box further comprises of a frontgear box plate and a rear gear box plate spaced apart by a center gearbox plate, wherein the motor gear is coupled to the motor by a motorshaft assembly that is substantially housed in a motor shaft housingthat is attached to the outside of the front gear box plate and to themotor, wherein the brake gear is coupled to the brake by a brake shaftassembly that is substantially housed in a brake shaft housing that isattached to the outside of the rear gear box plate and to the brake, andwherein the final drive gear is coupled to the final drive by a finaldrive shaft assembly that is housed in a final drive shaft housing thatis attached to the outside of the front gear box face and to the finaldrive.
 5. The robotic vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of the righttrack assembly and the left track assembly further comprises a coolantsystem operably connected to a motor controller and the motor fordissipating heat from the motor controller and the motor, wherein thecoolant system comprises of a cooler and a pump for circulating coolantaround the controller and the motor to the cooler, and wherein thecontroller is positioned between the motor and the pump.
 6. The roboticvehicle of claim 1, wherein each of the right track assembly and theleft track assembly further comprises a track frame and an attachmentmechanism to removably attach the track frame to the chassis.
 7. Therobotic vehicle of claim 6, wherein each attachment mechanism furthercomprises a pair of tubes combined to the track frame and slidinglycombined to the chassis, and an actuator combined to the chassis andattached to at least one tube of the pair of tubes to drive the trackframe towards and away from the chassis to increase or decrease atrack-to-track width of the robotic vehicle.
 8. The robotic vehicle ofclaim 6, wherein each attachment mechanism further comprises a pair ofangle arms attached at one end to the track frame and attached atanother end to the chassis to elevate the chassis above the ground andincrease a track-to-track width of the robotic vehicle.
 9. A roboticvehicle, comprising: a chassis comprising a right side and a left side;a right track assembly separable from the right side of the chassis; aleft track assembly separable from the left side of the chassis; andwherein each of the right track assembly and the left track assemblycomprises a motor operably connected to a track through a final drive, abrake to arrest the rotation of the output of the motor, and a gear boxassembly that connects the motor to the brake both of which areconnected vertically above the final drive, wherein an axis of rotationfor an output of the motor is positioned above an axis of rotation ofthe final drive, a motor controller electrically connectable to abattery unit and electrically connected to the motor for convertingpower from the battery unit to power for the motor, and wherein the lefttrack assembly is separable from the chassis by an attachment mechanismand an electrical connector with the motor and the motor controllerbeing fully separable with the left track assembly from a central unitcomprising an operating unit and the battery unit combined to thechassis.
 10. The robotic vehicle of claim 9, wherein each motor is an ACmotor and each motor controller converts power from the battery unit toa variable frequency AC power for the motor.
 11. A robotic vehicle,comprising: a chassis comprising a right side and a left side; a righttrack assembly separable from the right side of the chassis; a lefttrack assembly separable from the left side of the chassis; and whereineach of the right track assembly and the left track assembly comprise amotor operably connected to a track, wherein each of the right trackassembly and the left track assembly further comprises a coolant systemoperably connected to a motor controller and the motor for dissipatingheat from the motor controller and the motor, wherein the coolant systemcomprises of a cooler and a pump for circulating coolant around thecontroller and the motor to the cooler, and wherein the controller ispositioned between the motor and the pump.
 12. The robotic vehicle ofclaim 11, wherein each coolant system and each motor controller arepositioned above the track.
 13. The robotic vehicle of claim 12, whereineach cooler is positioned rearward of the corresponding motor, and afinal drive is combined to an output of each motor.
 14. A roboticvehicle, comprising: a chassis comprising a right side and a left side;a right track assembly separable from the right side of the chassis; aleft track assembly separable from the left side of the chassis; andwherein each of the right track assembly and the left track assemblycomprises a motor operably connected to a track, wherein the left trackassembly: (i) is separable from the chassis by an attachment mechanismand an electrical connector with the motor, a motor controller, and acoolant system being fully separable with the left track assembly from acentral unit comprising an operating unit and a battery unit combined tothe chassis; and (ii) wherein an ornamental cover is positioned abovethe track with the motor, the motor controller, and the coolant systembeing enclosed in the ornamental cover all of which is positioned abovethe track and with a cooler of the coolant system being positionedrearward of the motor and the motor controller with respect to the frontof the robotic vehicle, and a gear box connected outside the ornamentalcover on the inside of the left track assembly to couple the motor to afinal drive that drives the track with the motor being positioned abovethe final drive with a rotational axis of the output of the motor beingvertically aligned and on the same plane with a rotational axis of theoutput of the final drive.
 15. A robotic vehicle, comprising: a chassiscomprising a right side and a left side; an operating unit positionedrearward on the chassis; a battery unit positioned forward on thechassis; a right track assembly separable from the right side of thechassis; a left track assembly separable from the left side of thechassis; wherein each of the left track assembly and the right trackassembly is separable from the chassis by an attachment mechanism and anelectrical connector, and wherein each of the right track assembly andthe left track assembly further comprises: a motor operably attachableto the battery unit on the chassis, a final drive connected to themotor, a brake to arrest the rotation of an output of the motor, and agear box assembly that connects the motor to the brake both of which areconnected vertically above the final drive; a motor controllerelectrically connectable to the battery unit and electrically connectedto the motor for converting power from the battery unit to power for themotor; a track frame removably attachable to the chassis; a trackrotatable across the ground and with respect to the track frame; a tracklink combined to the track to rotate with the track; a sprocketconnected to the motor and engaged with the track link to rotate thetrack link and the track; at least one idler roller and at least oneroller engaged with the track link to maintain an alignment of thetrack; and wherein the motor and the motor controller being fullyseparable with the left track assembly from the operating unit and thebattery unit.
 16. A robotic vehicle, comprising: a chassis comprising aright side and a left side; an operating unit positioned rearward on thechassis; a battery unit positioned forward on the chassis; a right trackassembly separable from the right side of the chassis; a left trackassembly separable from the left side of the chassis; wherein each ofthe left track assembly and the right track assembly is separable fromthe chassis by an attachment mechanism and an electrical connector, andwherein each of the right track assembly and the left track assemblyfurther comprises: a motor operably attachable to the battery unit onthe chassis; a track frame removably attachable to the chassis; a trackrotatable across the ground and with respect to the track frame; a tracklink combined to the track to rotate with the track; a sprocketconnected to the motor and engaged with the track link to rotate thetrack link and the track; and at least one idler roller and at least oneroller engaged with the track link to maintain an alignment of thetrack; wherein the motor being fully separable with the left trackassembly from the operating unit and the battery unit, wherein each ofthe right track assembly and the left track assembly further comprises agear box assembly comprising the motor positioned vertically above andengaging a final drive that is coupled to the sprocket, wherein an axisof rotation for an output of the motor is positioned above an axis ofrotation of the final drive to elevate the motor above the ground tokeep the motor out of dirt, and wherein the gear box assembly furthercomprises a brake to arrest the rotation of the output of the motor, andwherein the gear box assembly further comprises a gear box for housing amotor gear mechanically coupled to the motor, a brake gear mechanicallycoupled to the brake and counter-rotationally engaged with the motorgear, and final drive gear mechanically coupled to the final drive andcounter-rotationally engaged with the brake gear, wherein each of themotor gear, the brake gear, and the final drive gear have an axis ofrotation all of which are aligned on a vertical plane, and wherein thegear box further comprises of a front gear box plate and a rear gear boxplate spaced apart by a center gear box plate, wherein the motor gear iscoupled to the motor by a motor shaft assembly that is substantiallyhoused in a motor shaft housing that is attached to the outside of thefront gear box plate and to the motor, wherein the brake gear is coupledto the brake by a brake shaft assembly that is substantially housed in abrake shaft housing that is attached to the outside of the rear gear boxplate and to the brake, and wherein the final drive gear is coupled tothe final drive by a final drive shaft assembly that is housed in afinal drive shaft housing that is attached to the outside of the frontgear box face and to the final drive.
 17. A robotic vehicle, comprising:a chassis comprising a right side and a left side; an operating unitpositioned rearward on the chassis; a battery unit positioned forward onthe chassis; a right track assembly separable from the right side of thechassis; a left track assembly separable from the left side of thechassis; wherein each of the left track assembly and the right trackassembly is separable from the chassis by an attachment mechanism and anelectrical connector, and wherein each of the right track assembly andthe left track assembly further comprises: a motor operably attachableto the battery unit on the chassis; a track frame removably attachableto the chassis; a track rotatable across the ground and with respect tothe track frame; a track link combined to the track to rotate with thetrack; a sprocket connected to the motor and engaged with the track linkto rotate the track link and the track; at least one idler roller and atleast one roller engaged with the track link to maintain an alignment ofthe track; and wherein the motor being fully separable with the lefttrack assembly from the operating unit and the battery unit, whereineach of the right track assembly and the left track assembly furthercomprises a motor controller electrically connectable to a battery unitand electrically connected to the motor for converting power from thebattery unit to power for the motor, wherein each of the right trackassembly and the left track assembly further comprises a coolant systemoperably connected to the motor controller and the motor for dissipatingheat from the motor controller and the motor, wherein the coolant systemcomprises of a cooler and a pump for circulating coolant around thecontroller and the motor to the cooler, and wherein the controller ispositioned between the motor and the pump, and wherein the coolantsystem and the motor controller are positioned above the track, andfurther the cooler is positioned rearward of the motor, and a finaldrive connected to the motor and coupled to the sprocket.